The Brisbane-based company has revealed an initial list of seven companies in states around Australia who are trained and approved to install the 10kWh zinc bromine flow battery.

Further installer training sessions are being conducted – as we reported last month, these are being done by RedFlow CEO Simon Hackett, himself – for a number of additional companies, which will be added to the website as they are approved.

The ZCell, which was officially launched to the market in March, is described as a flow battery that can ‘timeshift’ solar power from day to night, store off-peak power for peak demand periods and support off-grid systems.

Some of the benefits of the battery chemistry and design – which are both Australian made – include a long cycle life, reusable parts and a better depth of discharge and storage capability than some of its main competitors, including lead acid and lithium-ion batteries.

“ZCell has natural advantages over lithium in terms of its recyclability and reusability, better depth of discharge and storage capability,” said Ian Grayson – managing director of newly accredited installer WES Group, a Sunshine Coast-based electrical and mechanical contracting company.

“I believe energy storage will be a long-term growth story, like solar PV, and it will also be a game changer for the major electricity suppliers, especially with the advent of aggregation,” Grayson said.

Another ZCell installer, Troy Ryan from Solar Depot described the ZCell as a low maintenance and long-life battery system that would integrate easily into the company’s projects.

“ZCell’s well-suited for grid-hybrid and larger standalone applications and also answers safety concerns that plenty of people have about lithium batteries,” Ryan said.